Published On: 06.21.21 | 

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AIDT celebrates 50 years of shaping Alabama’s workforce

In the past 50 years, AIDT has trained about 1 million workers for 5,200 companies across Alabama. (contributed)

AIDT, Alabama’s primary workforce development agency, is marking 50 years as a central player in the state’s economic growth through its mission of training Alabama workers and connecting them with companies across the state.

The milestone was marked with a ceremony at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, attended by Gov. Kay Ivey and representatives of companies assisted by AIDT.

“Fifty years is an incredible milestone,” said Ed Castile, director of AIDT and deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “A group of people had a vision to modernize the workforce development model. Fifty years later and we must be doing something right.”

Ed Castile, director of AIDT, left, stands with Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. (contributed)
A ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of AIDT, Alabama’s high-ranking workforce training program, was held at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium. (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)
Gov. Kay Ivey gave remarks at the AIDT 50-Year Celebration at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium. (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)
State officials commemorate the 50th birthday of AIDT, Alabama’s consistently high-ranking workforce training agency. (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)
A ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of AIDT, Alabama’s high-ranking workforce training program, was held at Montgomery’s Riverwalk Stadium. (Hal Yeager / Governor’s Office)

Far-ranging impact

Since 1971, AIDT has trained about 1 million job seekers for 5,200 companies. In addition to the main office in Montgomery, AIDT operates seven training centers plus several satellite locations. The organization maintains a fleet of mobile training units that can bring classes to remote locations.

AIDT, whose economic impact on Alabama is calculated at $7 billion annually, provides training in a wide variety of fields, from aviation to robotics.

“One of Alabama’s key advantages in economic development is our workforce training programs, which provide a foundation for the support system we have in place to help companies in many different industries find and develop the skilled workers they need to achieve success,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.

“AIDT is at the core of our workforce development efforts, and its contribution to the state’s economic growth over the decades has been immense,” he said. “Fortunately for us, AIDT’s culture of innovation will carry that impact forward far into the future.”

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Greg Canfield explains why AIDT is valuable to Alabama from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Meeting tomorrow’s needs

Consistently ranked by industry and workforce publications as one of the top workforce development programs in the nation, AIDT continues to stay at the forefront of workforce development through a willingness to evolve.

“Part of the key to our success is that we are constantly looking for ways to improve upon our processes,” Castile said. “AIDT not only delivers what companies need to meet their demands today but continues to innovate and develop ways to deliver what companies will need in the future.”

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AIDT merged with the Alabama Department of Commerce in 2012.

This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.

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